After a sharp falloff in 2010, investments in the UK’s clean energy sector rebounded in 2011 to $9.4 billion – a 35 percent increase and the seventh highest among G-20 nations, according to new research by The Pew Charitable Trusts. The growth was driven in part by a 10-fold increase in solar energy investments, which … Read more
The UK Environment Agency has warned that the drought in England could last beyond Christmas. Seventeen counties in South West England and the Midlands have now moved into official drought status, after two dry winters have left rivers and ground waters depleted. While public water supplies in these areas are unlikely to be affected, the … Read more
Green Energy The latest Retail Marketing Survey, conducted by the Energy Institute (EI), shows that the number of forecourts in the UK continued to decline over the past year, falling to just 8,480 sites – down from 8,892 outlets in 2010. This is compared to 1967’s all-time high of 39,958 forecourts. Oil company sites decreased … Read more
Fears over safety and growing instability in the fuel industry are pushing oil tanker drivers closer to national strike action warns Unite, Britain’s largest trade union. Voting will begin next week in a strike ballot of over 2,000 drivers who work for seven major fuel distribution firms. The ballot will embrace approximately ninety per cent … Read more
The Energy Innovation Centre has revealed access to £29.2 million of funding for innovators and companies looking to bring new ideas for tomorrow’s energy industry to market. Available from February 2012, the funding can be accessed via the Energy Innovation Centre and investments will be selected by five of the UK’s leading electricity distribution companies … Read more
Spending by large UK firms on energy, environment and sustainability initiatives will grow at an average of 16% a year between 2012 and 2015, according to a new market forecast from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The growth in sustainable business spending in 2012 will be 12% which is twenty times faster than the forecasted growth … Read more
The UK is set to be amongst the best prepared nations for the implications of climate change following publication of a groundbreaking study into the threats the country faces. The Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) highlights the top 100 challenges to the UK and its economy of a changing climate and provides the most compelling … Read more
The European Commission considers that Ireland and the United Kingdom are not fully in line with EU gas market rules and has decided to refer these countries to the Court of Justice of the European Union. The best way for ensuring security of supply and affordable energy prices is to have a competitive internal EU … Read more
The UK wind sector has reached a landmark 6 gigawatts of installed capacity – enough to supply electricity to 3,354,893 homes – according to RenewableUK, the trade association representing the renewable energy industries. The 6GW threshold was reached by the Ormonde offshore wind farm, off the coast of Cumbria, which now has 120 megawatts (MW) … Read more
EDF Energy has announced it will cut gas prices by 5%, making it the first major energy supplier to lower prices this year. The move, effective from 7 February, follows in the footsteps of smaller energy firms Co-operative Energy and Ovo Energy, who have already announced price decreases. The price cut will be on gas, … Read more